What needs to be done before the lockdowns can be lifted?

Is a consistent fall in new cases enough? Or does there need to be a rapid expansion in testing capabilities and contact tracing?

Arutz Sheva Staff , 01/05/20 03:05

Trump at coronavirus relief bill signing ceremony at the White House

Reuters

The Chinese city of Wuhan, once the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, gradually began to lift its lockdown on April 8.

It was a sign of hope to many around the world that in the city where the pandemic began, life was slowly returning to normal. But what has to happen before countries can look to ease restrictions on movements, without opening the door to a resurgence of infections?

Is a consistent fall in new cases enough? Or does there need to be a rapid expansion in testing capabilities and contact tracing?

To help answer these questions, Don’t Touch Your Face hosts James Palmer and Amy Mackinnon are joined by NPR’s Beijing correspondent Emily Feng, who was in Wuhan the day the lockdown was eased, and Wafaa El-Sadr, the director of the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs at Columbia University and a professor of epidemiology and medicine at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.